Time Heals All?

Philippians 2:12-13. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

There is a saying, “Time heals all.” Time doesn’t heal all. It heals some but buries most. As it states in the verse above, we must actively work out our issues as in doing physical therapy for an injury. The word salvation in this verse could mean both salvation as in going to heaven or ‘salvation’ as in healing from our life’s hurts and problems. God saves us not only for our future glorious eternal life, but He also saves us in this present life on earth by healing in our minds and hearts.

When physical injuries come, to heal completely we need physical therapy. Leaving the injury alone, we will not fully heal. Instead, it will only result in stiffening the joints and muscles. When emotional injuries happen, to heal we too must have emotional growth therapy and resolve the internal conflicts. If not, our emotional “joints and muscles” will stiffen and it will be even more painful when we need to use those emotional “joints and muscles” in the future. This emotional stiffening could be a reason why some find it harder to face anxieties, worries, fears, anger, sadness, and other unpleasant emotions. By avoiding, burying, or over-controlling these feelings and emotional pains, rather than resolving them, we make them inflexible. Thus, the pain remains.

Some ideas for our emotional workout for healing:

Be willing to have the pain. Let go of the struggle to avoid or control your pain.